Silent Nights, Lustful Nights
by DeathlikeSilence
Summary: Draco is thrilled when he's invited to a very exclusive event over the holidays - and is later disgruntled upon discovering that Luna Lovegood is the only person he knows there. As they learn more about each other, their relationship grows more intimate..
1. Home for Christmas

**_Disclaimer: All character belong to J. K. Rowling. I do not make any money by writing this story._  
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****I wasn't planning on writing any fanfics for awhile, but I felt like writing something during my Christmas break. This is my Christmas present to you: a brand-new Draco/Luna fic :) I hope you like it. Please review, I promise I'll update fast if you do!

**Silent Nights, Lustful Nights**

_"I'm a romantic; a sentimental person thinks things will last, a romantic person hopes against hope that they won't." – F. Scott Fitzgerald_

**One: Home for Christmas**

It was an unseasonably warm day for December. Tiny flakes of snow fell from above, staining the train windows with their wetness. Draco Malfoy gave a yawn of boredom. How much longer would this blasted train ride last? He couldn't wait to get home for Christmas, for he knew that his parents had spent a lot of galleons on gifts for him this year.

Draco couldn't remember the last time he had been so excited to go back home. Actually, he couldn't remember the last time he had been on such good terms with his parents. It was his best year at Hogwarts yet, and not only because he had been made Prefect and was one of Professor Umbridge's favourite students. No, he was having a grand time because he knew that Harry Potter was having just the opposite luck. The whole Wizarding world dismissed him as a liar and an attention seeker now, and nobody believed anything that old fool Dumbledore had to say anymore. Yes, it certainly looked as though things had turned for the better for Draco Malfoy.

He yawned again and Pansy Parkinson gently stroked his golden hair, asking him if he was tired. "No, I'm ruddy bored of this unending train ride," he snapped.

"We're almost there," Pansy replied. "Only half an hour left, I suppose."

"I don't see why we couldn't have used Floo Powder like we usually do," Draco continued irritably. "But the Ministry has blocked it for some stupid reason. What a tedious waste of time."

"How did Potter and the Weasley bunch manage to sneak out of the castle, I wonder," said Crabbe.

Malfoy scowled as he recalled the announcement Umbridge had made that morning at breakfast. She had been furious that they had managed to sneak away under her own nose, and Draco didn't blame her. "I suppose being Dumbledore's favourite boy has its benefits," he snarled. "It's sickening how Potter gets away with _everything_, it really is."

"He won't be for long," said Theodore Nott, smirking. "Now that Umbridge is managing the school, I reckon she'll do away with that old buffoon very soon."

Malfoy found this thought cheerful, as did the rest of his mates.

"So Nott, what's your dad getting you for Christmas this year?" asked Draco, not out of interest but more to brag about his own current situation.

Theodore shrugged awkwardly, as if he didn't want to talk about this topic. "I've asked for a new broom," he said quietly.

Draco smirked. "Father already bought me a new broom over the summer. I don't know what he's getting me for Christmas, but I know it's something big. He told me he has a surprise for me. I can't say that I wasn't anticipating this; my parents are, after all, incredibly proud of me this term."

Theo's face was turning red and he didn't say anything, which pleased Draco. He knew that the Notts didn't have as much money as his own family. They weren't poor like the Weasleys, of course, but for a Pureblood family they certainly didn't have as much prestige as the other Slytherins.

Whereas Draco's bragging had made Nott uncomfortable, his other friends seemed deeply impressed. Pansy was the most impressed out of the whole group, and she beamed at him. "I'll miss you, Draco," she murmured, stroking his hair again.

Draco smirked again as his friends enviously looked on. He loved having Pansy cooing at him in front of his friends. None of them had girlfriends, while he had managed to score the prettiest girl in the entire House.

"I know, but you'll see me soon enough," Draco said haughtily.

"Will we be invited for Christmas Eve again this year?" Goyle asked hopefully.

"Of course. You're all invited, as always." Draco knew that his friend was only interested in coming because of the abundance of food the Malfoys had at their annual Christmas party, as Goyle was certainly not the socializing type.

The Slytherins looked excited, especially Pansy. She rummaged through her wardrobe in her mind, attempting to decide which gown she would wear for the Malfoys' party. She needed something really stunning to impress Draco!

The train ride grew shorter, and the Slytherins decided it was time to change out of their uniforms. Pansy slipped out of their compartment to change in private while the boys undressed.

"Are you shagging that yet?" asked Goyle with a perverted grin.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Draco scoffed.

"Aren't you a lucky bloke, having a chick like that," Crabbe muttered.

Draco felt his pride soar, but he didn't show it. "Really though, Malfoy, have you done it yet or not?"

He felt himself go pink in the face, but he ignored it. Actually this had been in his mind quite a lot lately. He and Pansy had barely kissed, and he didn't know if she would be willing to go any further. He figured that he could convince her to, but Pansy was extremely prudish and he wasn't sure if she would be up for it.

"You haven't banged her, have you?" Theodore said quietly, observing the look on Draco's face.

"It's none of your business!"

"Oho!" Nott snickered. "So Malfoy is still a virgin! Fancy that!"

"Shut up!" Draco snarled. "I could have her in bed if I wanted to! We just...er, haven't had the proper opportunity to do it."

His friends began to laugh, much to his irritation. "But we're planning to do it over Christmas break!" he added furiously to shut them up. "Yeah, that's right. She's practically been begging me to fuck her, only I haven't had the moment to do it at Hogwarts. But when we're alone at my house this week..."

Just as he had predicted, his friends stopped laughing at once. "You _are_ a lucky bloke," Crabbe muttered, and Draco was pleased to see that Theodore again looked envious.

The boys heard the compartment door slide behind them, and for a moment Draco froze in horror. Had Pansy heard everything he had just said? If she had, she would undoubtedly be furious and all his chances of getting laid would be gone.

He turned around and saw to his relief that it wasn't Pansy at all, but instead an oblivious-looking blonde haired girl with carrots hanging from her ears. "What do you want?" he snarled, and realizing that he had been in the midst of changing when the girl had entered and that his pants were down to his ankles, he pulled him up in haste and blushed furiously.

"Oh I beg your pardon," said the girl in a melodic, dreamy sort of voice. "I felt a swarm of wrackspurts fly in the compartment and thought I'd better warn whoever's in here."

The other Slytherins were ogling at the girl in disbelief. She didn't even seem to realize that they were half-dressed. "Get out of here, you freak! Can't you see that we're changing?"

The girl seemed to have barely heard them, but something seemed to have caught her attention in the hall and she floated away, leaving their compartment door wide open. Draco angrily shut it, amazed at the nerve of this girl.

"This entire school is full of nutters, I tell you!"

When Pansy returned, the story of the weird girl was recounted. She took pleasure in laughing at the poor freak, despite knowing who the girl had been. "Do you know who she was, Draco?" she asked.

"Never seen her in my life," he replied.

"I've seen her before," Crabbe said. "I dunno her name, but she seems really strange."

Nothing else interesting passed for the duration of the train ride. They reached King's Cross station shortly, much to Draco's relief. His parents were waiting for him at the station. His mother wrapped him in a tight hug. "We've missed you, darling," she murmured.

Draco blushed. He wished that his mother wouldn't do this in front of his friends. His father was much less sentimental, to his relief, and he merely nodded at Draco. Narcissa curiously eyed the short haired girl who was lingering next to Draco, her eyes shining with outmost admiration. "And nice to see you again, dear," she said kindly, though wondering suspiciously what exactly her relations to her son were.

"Pleasure to see you again, Mrs Malfoy," said Pansy politely.

"Alright, so I'll see you all in a few days, won't I?" Draco said, turning to his friends, who were also talking to their own parents.

They nodded, assuring him that they would indeed come to the Malfoys' Christmas party. "Er, well see you then, Draco," Pansy said awkwardly. She wanted to give him a goodbye kiss but was too shy to do it in front of both their parents.

"Yeah, I'll see you soon," Draco replied with the same awkward hesitance. He watched her turn around and follow her parents. She turned around briefly, catching his eye and offering a shy smile. Draco grinned back, then caught his trunk and followed his own parents out of the station.

He was growing anxious as he thought about the party. For the first time, Pansy would actually be in his house. They wouldn't exactly be alone, but the party would keep his parents busy and it would give them a chance to sneak away into his bedroom. His heart racing, Draco wondered if it would finally be the night.


	2. A Mother's Plight

I don't know if anybody is reading this story, but if you are, I hope you enjoy it so far. Please give me a review! It's all I'm asking for! I'll put up the next chapter very soon if I get a couple of reviews.

This chapter is basically to show how selfish and immature Draco is.

**Two: A Mother's Plight**

The next morning, Draco's mother woke him up early to help her decorate the house for the party. He groaned; he had no interest in decorating and would have preferred sleeping in for a change. He resigned himself to get up and go downstairs.

His parents were sitting at the table, eating breakfast. Draco yawned as he sat down.

"So, what's this surprise you mentioned?" he asked. Draco didn't know what he could possibly be getting, seeing as he already had everything.

His mother beamed. "You'll find out soon," she promised with a wide smile.

"Why won't you tell me now?"

"Be patient, boy," Lucius scolded, though he couldn't stop himself from smiling as well.

Draco was irritated, but he knew there was no way to make his parents tell him the secret. When the house elf brought a plate of food for him, he dug in greedily, eating as fast as he could.

"Slow down, Draco. What are you in such a hurry for?"

"I want to get this party rubbish out of the way quickly," he said. "What needs to be done, anyway?"

His mother looked uneasy. "Er, there is a lot to do, Draco. It won't be finished so quickly."

"What do you mean? Everything should be done in a few hours at least, right?"

"But we still need to put up the tree, and I haven't even begun all the cooking yet..."

"Draco, can't you give your mother just _one _day?" Lucius scolded. "We do everything for you and never ask for anything at all."

"An entire day!" Draco exclaimed. "You can't be serious!"

"Well dear, it is an awful amount of work to throw a party for sixty people," Narcissa said gently. "Can't you help me just this once? It's not like you have anything else to do, so what's wrong with giving your mother some company?"

Draco was outraged. "Mum this isn't fair! Why can't you get the house elf to help you?"

"The house elf _is _doing a lot of work already. I can't do all this work by myself."

"Then why even have a ruddy party if you can't manage to do all the work?" Draco snapped.

"Don't take that tone with your mother!" Lucius snarled.

Narcissa sighed. "I have never asked you for any help, ever," she said, looking hurt. "And it would mean a lot to me if you would do this for me. I really am not asking you for much."

"I don't have a choice then, do I?" Draco grumbled. His mother was right in that he had nothing better to do; he would have wasted his whole day bored out of his mind anyway. Still, he was angry that he had to waste an entire day doing boring girly things with his mum. His parents had no right to make him do anything; he was fifteen years old for Merlin's sake!

His father rose from the table. "I'll see you after work, dear," he said to his wife, giving her a kiss. "And you boy, be good!"

Draco's anger increased at these words. Was he a little child to have to be told to "be good"? He threw down his fork in anger. He had lost his appetite.

* * *

><p>The day passed dreadfully slowly for Draco. He hadn't minded putting up garland and holly around the entire Manor, even though it had taken him an entire hour despite using magic. Nor had he minded setting up the enormous Christmas tree and decorating it with his mum – which had taken yet another hour. He could not, however, bear the embarrassment of helping his mother bake sweets for the party.<p>

"Everyone will laugh at me if they find out," he grumbled.

"Cheer up, Draco, it's not that bad," Narcissa replied, surprised that her son found it so unbearable to spend time with her. She didn't often see her son now that he went to Hogwarts, and it was a treat for her to spend so much time with him today. She felt hurt that it was only Draco's first day back home, and he only wanted to get away from her and spend time with his friends.

"You used to love helping me when you were little," she said quietly, more to herself than to her son. "You used to look forward to baking with me every Christmas."

"Yeah, well I'm not little anymore."

Narcissa pulled the shortbread biscuits out of the oven. She placed the tray next to the pile of sugar biscuits and sticky gingerbread. With her wand, she began mixing ingredients for the Christmas pudding. Draco was busy starting on the marzipan stollen, which made her smile. Although he would never tell a soul, Draco was an exceptional baker.

At last the sweets were finished, and the Malfoy kitchen counter lay entirely covered with biscuits, cakes, breads, pies, and other delicacies. Draco sighed with relief. "Finally, we're done!"

"But we haven't started the appetizers yet," said Narcissa.

Draco was astounded. "There's more? Do you honestly mean to say that there is more work even after all this?"

"We haven't even done half the work yet, darling," she told him. Narcissa couldn't bear to see the disappointed look on his face. She couldn't bear to see how desperate her son looked to get away from her. She suddenly felt a little sad, remembering her Draco as a little boy who was always eager and happy to be with her all the time.

"You know what, you've helped quite enough," she finally said, stifling a maternal sob. "You can go if you want."

She hated seeing his face light up with delight. "Alright! Thanks mum! I'll owl Goyle and see if he wants to do something." And he was out of her sight within seconds.


	3. The Big Surprise

Thanks for everyone who's taken the time to review :) I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please keep reviewing!

**Three: The Big Surprise**

The following day was Christmas Eve and the day of the Malfoys' Christmas party. When Draco went downstairs for breakfast, he realized how little work he had actually done, for his mother had decorated the house exquisitely while he had been sleeping. He felt a bit guilty as he looked around at the boughs of holly, mistletoe, and tinsel which covered the wall. The house looked more cheerful than it ever had. When Draco entered the living room, he saw that Narcissa had taken down everything he had done and had redecorated the entire place. He couldn't blame her; in his stubborn haste, Draco had arbitrarily thrown whatever he had laid his hands on and it had looked like a huge tacky mess. Narcissa had stuck to a colour scheme, and instead of the multicoloured ornaments he had thrown on the tree, she had carefully hung silver balls along with little sparkling lights shaped like snowflakes. The candelabra held long, golden candlesticks, which were also placed all around the room. There were countless vases of fresh Christmas flowers, and bowls filled with pieces of chocolates, peppermints, and fudge. Most impressive of all, Narcissa had cast a charm so that snow fell from the ceiling and melted away ten inches above Draco's head.

He walked into the kitchen, his guilt increasing, and saw that the kitchen too was decorated in the same way. "You've really outdone yourself this time, Narcissa," Lucius was saying as Draco sat down.

"I couldn't have done it without Draco's help, of course," his mother replied, smiling at Draco, who was too ashamed to return her smile.

Lucius looked surprised. "You don't mean to tell me that the boy actually stayed and helped? I thought he would surely run off with his friends after a couple of hours."

Draco turned pink, but instead of feeling guilty, he felt a surge of anger at his father for doubting him. He ignored the fact that Lucius was always correct in underestimating him.

The house elf brought out a plate of pancakes for Draco, which he ate silently.

"Draco, there's something in the mail for you," Narcissa said with a large smile.

"Hm?" He rummaged through a pile and found an envelope with his name written on it. "Oh, okay." He tossed it aside carelessly, taking another bite of his breakfast.

"Don't you want to open it, dear?" his mother asked.

"What? Yeah, I'll open it later."

Draco suddenly became aware that his parents had stopped eating and were looking at him expectantly. "What's going on?" he asked, confused.

"Don't you want to know what your surprise is?" said Lucius, a slight smirk playing at his lips.

"Surprise? Well yeah, sure. What's it got to do with – Oh!" Draco instantly clued in and grabbed the envelope. He saw that it was from the Minister for Magic, which puzzled him. Why was Cornelius Fudge writing to him?

He tore it open and a card fell out. "_Dear Mister Draco Malfoy_," he read aloud. "_It is my pleasure to present to you this invitation for this year's Order of Merlin Award ceremony. As it is an honour of the outmost prestige to be invited to this award ceremony, I would like to congratulate you on your achievements and look forward to seeing you on the evening of December 27__th__. Cordially, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic_."

He looked inside the envelope and pulled out a piece of parchment with the details of the ceremony. It took a minute for Draco to understand what it was all about, and why his parents were beaming down at him. "I don't believe it! I've – I've won an award?"

"Don't be stupid, boy!" Lucius snapped in exasperation. "Of course _you_ haven't won anything!"

Draco's face fell. "So you mean – I have to go to this thing to watch other people win stuff?" Now this didn't seem like a great present at all! In fact, it was a lousy present, and he felt like he had been ripped off after waiting with so much anticipation for a surprise. Now he had nothing else to look forward too, and worst of all, he was forced going to some boring award ceremony.

"Draco, you need to stop being so selfish," his father scolded him, astonished at his son's disappointment. "It's an honour in itself to be invited to the ceremony, let alone to be invited by the Minister for Magic himself! You have no idea how much work it took me to score you an invitation from Fudge."

Draco was silent. He still couldn't see what was so great about this so-called surprise. "I guess I'll have to do then, won't I?" he said glumly.

Lucius was outraged, and Narcissa was also looking at him in disapproval. "Of course you'll go!" he snarled. "Perhaps seeing someone else win something for their hard work will finally make you see how easy you have it here, without any responsibility or chores! Perhaps this will show you the importance of _working_ instead of sitting around and getting other people to do everything for you! It's about time you learned to grow up!"

Draco's face was turning red with anger. How dare his father talk to him like that! His life wasn't easy! His parents always treated him like a child. They always compared him to that lousy Potter, expecting him to do better than him. They didn't understand that Potter only got ahead because he was Dumbledore's favourite boy. He almost yelled back, but the fear of angering Lucius held him back.

"I _do_ work hard," he said instead, realizing that he sounded like a pouting child.

"Funny, your marks certainly don't show it!"

Again about his marks! Why did his parents care so much about how he did in school? He was passing, wasn't he? And it wasn't like he _needed_ to do well; he would inherit everything from his father anyway. In fact, he would be completely fine even if he never went to school again.

"My marks aren't that bad," Draco argued. "I did amazing in Potions class!"

"Yes, but what about your other classes? Why is it that a Mudblood like Granger can beat you every time, when you are fortunate enough to be brought up in a high society Pureblood home?"

Draco's face was turning redder and redder. "It's because the teachers all favour that Mudblood, just because she hangs around with that – that – _Potter_!"

"I've heard this same excuse a million times," said his father, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, this discussion is over. You are going to France to attend this highly prestigious event, and that is that. You ought to feel _grateful_ at being invited –"

"Wait a minute," Draco said suddenly. "What did you say? France?"

"Why yes, this year the award ceremony will take place in Paris to honour a French witch for her outstanding discoveries in magical herbs. Didn't you read the invitation?"

"No!" Draco said, suddenly excited. He skimmed through the piece of parchment. "You mean – I'm spending a week in Paris!"

"Well, of course," said his father, puzzled at his son's sudden enthusiasm. "The Ministry has organized a stay in an extremely sophisticated hotel for the week, where there will be a number of balls and parties prior to and after the award ceremony. And you get to bring along one guest."

Draco suddenly understood why his parents had been so excited about this surprise, and realized that this was indeed the best gift he had ever received. He was going to spend New Year's in Paris without his parents – which meant an entire week of completely unsupervised freedom with Pansy!

"Wait till everyone hears about this," he breathed ecstatically.


	4. The Decision

****Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! After finishing this chapter I wished that I had stuck it at the end of the last one instead, because it's quite short. The next chapter is almost finished, and I'll put it up as soon as I get a couple of reviews ;) Also there's a little part in this chapter which you might find offensive, but it's meant to be controversial and I put it in there because I see the Malfoys as being very prejudiced and narrow-minded. You'll understand what I mean when you get to the part. Enjoy!

**Four: The Decision**

Draco was ecstatic for the rest of the day, anxiously waiting for the party so that he could tell his friends about the invitation.

"Have you thought about who you'll take with you?" Narcissa asked hopefully.

"Of course! Pansy will be thrilled when I tell her that we get to spend a romantic week in Paris to-"

Lucius raised his eyebrows, while Narcissa looked shocked. "Absolutely not! There is no way that I'll let my fifteen year old son go off to another country _unsupervised _with a girl who we barely know!"

Draco's mouth fell open, his excitement dropping to the floor with a crash. "That's not fair! I'm not a child; I should be allowed to take whoever I want!"

"Your mother said no," his father calmly said. "And I have to agree with her. You kids are too young to go by yourselves. Moreover, I hardly think that Pansy's parents will allow their daughter to go with you."

Draco realized glumly that his father had a point. He could probably bully his parents with guilt to change their minds, but it wasn't likely that the Parkinsons would let Pansy go to France with him.

"Who will I take now, then?" he grumbled.

His mother gave him a surprised look. "Why, one of us of course!"

"_What?_"

"And what exactly is wrong with that?" she demanded.

Draco couldn't believe this. Surely his mother wasn't going to ruin this opportunity for him, when it was the first time he was getting to do something grown-up?

"Oh Narcissa, let the boy enjoy himself with his friends," Lucius said. "He deserves that at least."

Narcissa was most displeased at this.

"I guess I'll have to bring Crabbe or Goyle along," Draco said, sulking. His two friends were alright when he needed something done, but otherwise he really didn't fancy their company. They were boring and dim-witted, and all they ever wanted to do was eat. He didn't want to be stuck with either of them in France for a whole week.

"What about Zabini? Maybe he'll want to come," he said then, relieved that he had thought of someone else whose company he actually enjoyed.

Narcissa again looked displeased. "Darling, you know that I don't approve of you associating with, er, people of _his type_."

Draco didn't understand what his mother was trying to say. "But Blaise is a pureblood, mum."

"That, er, isn't what your mother means. It's just that...well, people should only be in the company of...er, other people of the same kind. Do you understand now?"

This made absolutely no sense to Draco. "But Blaise _is_ like us. He's a pure blood _and _he's in Slytherin."

His parents looked at each other awkwardly, which irritated Draco. "No matter which House he's in, we don't want you to invite him," Narcissa said finally.

He still didn't understand, but he figured there was no point in arguing. He didn't know the Zabini boy that well anyway. "What about Theodore Nott? Is he, you know, _our kind_? Whatever that means?"

His parents looked immensely relieved. "Yes, Draco, the Notts are a fine family. You have our permission to ask him."

Draco was also relieved, and he promptly headed upstairs to send Theodore an owl.

"I still don't approve of this, Lucius."

"I don't see any harm in allowing the boy to go with Nott. They're both good kids. You're worrying for nothing, Narcissa."

"What if something happens? Draco is still a child!"

"He is perfectly capable of looking after himself for one week," said her husband. "You're overreacting. Besides, he won't be alone. There will be lots of reputable witches and wizards around, and with all the events they've packed into the week, the boys won't even get a chance to get into mischief."

Narcissa sighed. "I suppose you're right, and that I'm being foolishly overprotective. I mean, you were a fifteen year old boy once, and you were well-behaved and obedient. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, they say, right?"

"Er, right. Exactly," Lucius replied awkwardly. This last argument was actually making him rethink his judgment.

"Although I do wish that he would want his mother around more," she mumbled to herself.


	5. Plans for Mischief

**Five: Plans for Mischief**

The sun slowly disappeared, and before they knew it, evening had crept in. The house decorated, the food all cooked and set out, and dressed in their very best dress robes, the Malfoys were ready for guests to arrive. The first ones to come were the Parkinsons. Pansy had pushed her parents to get there early so that she would have the chance to be with Draco without anyone else around. They happened, however, to show up forty minutes before the party was to start, which Narcissa found suspicious.

"Pardon us for arriving so early," Mrs Parkinson said, embarrassed, eyeing her daughter.

"Not at all, dear. Please do come in," Narcissa said warmly. "Sit and make yourselves comfortable."

Pansy and her parents sat down quietly. There was an awkward silence. Draco was staring at the snow falling on the Christmas tree, too shy to catch Pansy's gaze.

"I love what you've done with your house," Mrs Parkinson said. "It is rather beautiful."

"Thank you," said Narcissa, fidgeting with the bracelets around her wrists. This was so awkward, she thought, with her family sitting morosely on one sofa and the Parkinsons sitting equally uncomfortably on the other. "Er, shall I fetch you something to drink? Tea, perhaps, or some mulled wine?"

"I would love some wine, thanks," said Mr Parkinson, opening his mouth for the first time.

"Make that two."

"And what would you like, my dear?" Narcissa asked Pansy, catching her off-guard as she had been trying to get Draco's attention.

"N-nothing for me, thanks," she said shyly.

With her wand, Narcissa poured four glasses of freshly-made mulled wine. There was another long, awkward silence. To break this silence, Narcissa hastily offered everyone a plate of sweets, which they all graciously took. Everyone took extra care to chew slowly, so as to avoid having to talk.

Draco wished that he could take Pansy to his room. Hell, he would prefer being up there by himself rather than be stuck here. He took another biscuit and chewed it thoughtfully as his parents attempted to make small talk with the Parkinsons.

"That is a darling dress, dear," Narcissa said to Pansy.

"Thank you," the girl replied, fluffing her hair and hoping Draco would say something.

"Don't you think it's lovely?" his mother asked suddenly, turning to him. "I think Pansy looks quite nice in this shade of green."

"Er, yeah," Draco mumbled, stuffing more biscuits into his mouth.

He snuck a glance at Pansy while Mrs Parkinson started talking about the Christmas tree. She did look great, he'd seen that, but he hadn't paid attention to what she was wearing. She had on a silky dark green dress. Something about the dress bothered Draco. Perhaps it was that it was so long that it covered her legs, or that the neckline was so high that only a tiny bit of skin was visible. Perhaps it was that the girl was so thin that her body appeared entirely shapeless and her bust totally flat. She looked more like a little child than a blossoming woman, he thought as he stared at her. He gazed at her face, which was just as plain. It was incredibly plain, in fact everything about her was – but plain didn't have to mean bad. She was good-looking, there was no denying that, but Draco wished that there was more to her body. He began fantasising in his mind, picturing a full, voluptuous female body with defined curves and plump breasts. His face began to flush a little, realizing that his thoughts were inappropriate in this situation, and he tried to think of something else.

The time crawled by, until finally a few more guests started arriving. The Goyles arrived shortly afterwards, much to Draco's relief, though Pansy certainly did not look as pleased to see the boy.

Soon it was well into the evening and the Malfoys' living room was crowded with nicely dressed witches and wizards. Draco was in a corner chatting with his friends, while Pansy stood back awkwardly, unsure of what to do. She didn't have any friends here and she was desperate to be with Draco, but he was busy with his friends.

"You're a lucky bloke, Malfoy," said Adrian Pucey. "I'd give everything to be invited to the Order of Merlin Awards."

"Having to go to a drab awarding ceremony doesn't sound so great to me," Marcus Flint scoffed.

"Sure _that'll_ be boring," Pucey agreed, "but he'll be in France without parental supervision...with loads of gorgeous French girls around."

Draco was suddenly aware that Pansy was standing behind him. "Oh, I don't need any French girl," he said haughtily, acting as if he didn't realize that she was there. "I've already got my eyes on someone very special."

He felt a warm hand take his, and winking at his friends smugly, he turned around and feigned surprise. "Pansy! How long have you been standing there?"

She was beaming with extreme happiness. "Draco, will you come look at the tree with me?" she asked as an attempt to get him away from his friends.

He followed her, smoothing out his hair and hoping that she wanted to be as alone with him as much as he did. As she stood admiring the tree, he slipped his arm around her shoulder and slightly pressed his waist against her body. Her eyes popped open wide in surprise.

"Is it just me, or is this party a bit too crowded?" he whispered.

She nodded quickly, the surprise and excitement taking away her ability to speak.

"Why don't we, er, head up to my room?"

She nodded again.

Unfortunately for Draco, Narcissa had been eyeing the pair from the moment they had slid away from the group. As soon as she saw them moving away from the tree, her son's arm around the girl's shoulder, she swept down on them like a hawk.

"How is it going, you two?"

"Er, mum! It's going great," Draco mumbled, his cheeks turning pink.

"Good, good. Pansy, I've been having a lovely chat with your mother in the kitchen. Why don't you take a cup of chocolate and join us?"

This wasn't really a question, and Pansy found herself being pulled away into the kitchen by Mrs Malfoy. Draco glumly walked back to his friends.

"What happened there?" Theodore asked him with a smirk.

Draco grumpily opened a bottle of Butterbeer and started chugging. "Easy there," Pucey said. "That stuff's got enough alcohol to make a house elf seriously tipsy."

The boys laughed. "Really though, Malfoy, where's the real stuff?"

"We're not allowed to have any," he said glumly. "My parents are making sure that we don't somehow sneak away any alcohol."

"I didn't know that your mummy was so overprotective," Theodore said mockingly. "Too bad, I was expecting a _real _party from you, Malfoy."

Draco was getting more and more irritated with the outcome of this party. It didn't look like he had any hope at all of sneaking upstairs with Pansy. His mum was watching him with constant vigilance, as if she knew what his plans were.

"Were you serious though, earlier? About Pansy?"

Draco snorted. "Course not. I mean, she's okay and all, but those French chicks will be amazing."

"It'll be one hell of a week," Theodore agreed ecstatically. "I'll be hooking up with a new girl every night! And then the New Year's Eve party in Paris..."

The boys gave them looks of envy. "Who says _you'll_ find any French girl to hook up with? You can barely find a girl at Hogwarts!" Draco scoffed, enjoying this attention.

There was a loud "oho!" at this and the boys began to snigger. Theodore narrowed his eyes. "Do you want to bet, Malfoy? Let's see you do any better than me."

Draco smirked. "What girl would turn _me _down? I'm a Malfoy; women _throw _themselves at me."

Theodore began to laugh. "Funny, I haven't seen any girl throwing herself at you at Hogwarts."

"Oh yeah? What about – what about Millicent? I completely crushed her heart last year when she asked me to go to the Yule ball with her."

The boys snorted. "Draco, even I turned her down for the ball last year," Crabbe broke in, and everyone laughed.

"Fine then. What about – you know that sixth year Ravenclaw girl who always stares at me in Herbology? How do you explain her?"

"The only time _she_ ever looked at you was when she glared at you for looking down her robes!"

"Alright, fine!" Draco snapped as the others burst into peals of laughter. "Pansy Parkinson. How do you explain her?"

Theodore stopped laughing. He shrugged. "Bad taste?"

"No, really," said Draco, getting angry. "I have Pansy. Who do you have? Why hasn't a girl ever asked you out?"

Theodore was now getting furious. "You better watch your mouth, Malfoy," he sneered. The others stopped laughing and looked on uneasily.

"You wanted to make a bet, right? Why don't we? Whoever scores with a chick first in Paris wins."

"You're on!" Theodore snarled. "And what do I get when I win?"

"_If_ you win," said Draco, "and you won't – I'll give you a hundred galleons."

"Sure, if you don't mind losing that much gold along with your pride," said Theodore coolly.

"And if I win?"

Theodore looked uneasy, as he didn't have that sort of money to give away easily. "You don't have a hundred galleons to give me, do you?" Draco asked, smirking nastily.

The boy's face was turning red, but he didn't want to satisfy Draco by getting angry.

"You know what? You money means nothing to me. I don't have any use for more gold. If I win, you have to carry my books around and do everything I tell you for the rest of the school year."

"Fine!" Theodore snapped. His face was crimson now. It would be nothing to give away a hundred – nay, a thousand galleons - to Draco for losing a bet, but this would be pure humiliation. However, he couldn't refuse now or else it would seem like he wasn't sure that he would win – which he was. He was at least as handsome as Draco, if not more so, and if Malfoy wasn't rich he would have worse luck with girls than Nott did. No, Draco was arrogant and obnoxious, while Theodore was at least capable of being nice (to people who deserved it, anyway). He would use that to win over a girl.

"You're on, then."

The other boys were deeply absorbed in this wager, and they regretted that they wouldn't be able to watch it play out themselves.

"Wait, let's make this fair," Pucey broke in. "You can't use any love potions, charms, or spells to woo the girl."

"Fine," both Theodore and Draco said at once.

"And she has to be at least a half-blood," Theodore added.

Draco snorted. "As if I'd even shake hands with anyone of lesser blood!"

"And you can't bribe or pay anyone to sleep with you," said Flint. He smirked at Draco.

"If she's ugly, it doesn't count," Goyle added.

"So it's settled. The first one to shag a decent looking half-blood girl without using any magic – or material incentives - wins."

The two boys shook hands in agreement, each one confident that he would win.


End file.
